Julia Louis-Dreyfus has breast cancer: 'Today, I'm the one'

LOS ANGELES (TNS) — Just when we thought she was invincible, Julia Louis-Dreyfus dropped a bombshell on Thursday. The "Veep" star has breast cancer.

“1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I’m the one,” the actress shared in a post on Instagram and Twitter.

The iconic “Seinfeld” alumna spun the announcement into a political statement on health care, which has remained a hot-button national issue.

“The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union,” she added. “The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let's fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the most common cause of death from cancer among Hispanic women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2014, 236,968 women and 2,141 men in the United States were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 41,211 women and 465 men in the United States died from the disease.

The 56-year-old did not share additional details about her diagnosis, nor did she share much about her prognosis. However, her publicist told the Associated Press that she “is incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and well wishes.”

The news comes just after Louis-Dreyfus made Emmy Award history earlier this month with another win for her HBO comedy. She won her sixth consecutive acting prize for her turn as career politician Selina Meyer on “Veep,” earning the most Emmys for playing the same character. (She previously shared the record with Mary Tyler Moore and Candice Bergen.) She also won the best comedy prize for a second time as a producer on the show.

“Veep” will come to an end in 2018 once it concludes its seventh season.

“This is and continues to be the role of a lifetime and an adventure of utter, utter joy,” Louis-Dreyfus said in her Emmys acceptance speech.